Britain's most senior soldier has told the Saville inquiry sitting in London that he did not attempt any cover-up of the killing of 13 civilians on Bloody Sunday.
General Sir Michael Jackson, the head of the British army, was a captain in the Parachute Regiment in Derry on Bloody Sunday. This morning he gave evidence to the inquiry for the second time.
General Jackson admits he made handwritten notes on the night of Bloody Sunday which summarised the statements of some of the soldiers who fired shots on the day. He had made no mention of this when he first gave evidence to the Saville Inquiry last April.
In a written statement, he said he was unable to explain why the names of the paratroopers or the number of rounds they had fired had not been included in the notes.
Michael Mansfield QC, representing the families of the victims, said today there was a serious question mark over the handwritten documents and that their real purpose was to justify the actions of the soldiers on Bloody Sunday by claiming the dead were gunmen or bombers.
General Jackson said that was a matter for the tribunal to decide and he rejected suggestions that writing the notes had been an attempt to santise events.
